Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Play or Bench Tips for Fantasy Football Managers

The NFL schedule-makers likely simplified some start-or-sit decisions for Week 9.

Six different teams are on a bye this week, including the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. Many fantasy football managers will be less worried about internal tweaks than they will be simply covering up empty roster spots.

Still, there will be a few tricky play-or-bench calls to make on the fringes, as always. We're here to help simplify the process with a few recommendations of our own.

Justin Fields is quickly trending up, both due to improved play-calling and the typical development of a second-year signal-caller. Not to mention, his supporting cast keeps getting better with N'Keal Harry's recent debut and the deadline deal for Chase Claypool.

More than anything, Fields is raising his fantasy floor with consistently strong rushing numbers.

Over his last three outings, the 23-year-old has 34 carries for 230 yards and two touchdowns. With a ground game like that, he doesn't need to do much as a passer to have a really strong fantasy performance.

Fields' passing is perking up too, though, as he just completed a season-high 73.9 percent of his passes while throwing for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. His numbers could keep trending up as he'll draw a Dolphins defense allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to the position, per Yahoo.

Matthew Stafford was electric during his debut, Super Bowl-winning season in Los Angeles, but someone has cut the power this time around.

His ball-control is gone, and the volume of his passing numbers has been dialed down to the point of near-silence.

In statistical terms, that means the 34-year-old has had more games with zero touchdown passes (two) than with multiple touchdown throws (one). He's also eclipsed 300 passing yards only once and was just held under 200 yards for the first time this season.

The Buccaneers aren't an especially tough matchup—16th-most fantasy points allowed—but that's not enough to give Stafford a start if you have other options. On top of everything else, Cooper Kupp is fighting an ankle injury that kept him out of Wednesday's practice.

On the stat sheet, Aaron Jones is a dart throw for fantasy managers, but he shouldn't be.

Given Green Bay's struggles in the passing game, you'd think the Packers would want to lean more heavily on the 27-year-old. They've given him 15-plus carries three times this season, and in each of those games, including this past Sunday, he has rushed for at least 110 yards.

His playmaking should be turning heads, as he's run for 5.9 yards per carry while collecting 30 of 38 targets for 190 yards and three scores.

The Lions have allowed the third-most fantasy points to running backs. If ever there was a time to let Jones loose, this is it.

Brian Robinson's selling point was supposed to be safety. Over the previous two weeks, he had handled 37 carries, a number so high that fantasy managers didn't really mind that he didn't do much with the opportunities (133 yards and a score).

Well, Washington's coaches just pulled that rug out from underneath the 23-year-old.

In Week 8, the Commanders' carries were scattered all across their backfield. Robinson technically handled the most, but he did so while getting just eight of the team's 28 rushes.

Antonio Gibson, Curtis Samuel and Taylor Heinicke all had four-plus rushing attempts, with the quarterback recording the only score and the wide receiver leading the way in yards per attempt (7.3).

If Robinson isn't a featured back in Washington, then he shouldn't be a starter in most fantasy leagues. There might be weeks when he matters in fantasy, but it won't be easy to spot them.

It's better to choose an alternative this weekend, especially since the matchup with the Vikings isn't great.